Stolen Time

by S. A. Ichigo

  Stolen

  Time

  S.A. Ichigo

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright 2020 S.A. Ichigo

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

  Copyright © 2020 S. A. Ichigo

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design: Joe Sowrey

  (@thecoverart.co)

  To everyone who never got their chance to say goodbye.

  "I've been dancing with your ghost

  Some might say that we have stole the show

  All the memories that are haunting me

  I refuse to let you go"

  - No Resolve

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One: Mia Present

  Chapter Two: Mia Past

  Chapter Three: Mia Present

  Chapter Four: Mia Past

  Chapter Five: Kai Present

  Chapter Six: Mia Present

  Chapter Seven: Mia Past

  Chapter Eight: Kai Present

  Chapter Nine: Mia Present

  Chapter Ten: Kai Present

  Chapter Eleven: Mia Present

  Chapter Twelve: Kai Present

  Chapter Thirteen: Mia Present

  Chapter Fourteen: Mia Present

  Chapter Fifteen: Kai Present

  Chapter Sixteen: Mia Present

  Chapter Seventeen: Kai Present

  Chapter Eighteen: Mia Present

  Chapter Nineteen: Kai Present

  Chapter Twenty: Mia Present

  Chapter Twenty One: Kai Present

  Chapter Twenty Two: Mia Present

  Epilogue: Kai Present

  Acknowledgments

  Happy Birthday!

  Chapter One

  Mia

  Present

  I am staring at the clock on the wall; it’s 3:20 in the morning. Another sleepless night. I sigh deeply, brushing my hands through my hair. This has to end, I can’t go on like this forever. It’s been over five years now, but every time I close my eyes, nightmares come back. Flashbacks of my past keep haunting me each time I drift away to sleep. I could take a pill, but then I won’t be able to wake up when another dream comes. And they always do. Every single night. I see their faces, hear their screams. Just like then, I’m not able to help them; all I can do is watch. I see them die – repeatedly in my head.

  Trying to fall asleep is pointless, so I get up, put a well-worn sweater over my bare shoulders, turn on the light on the staircase and go downstairs to the kitchen. I hate darkness. It took me a while to get used to it after what happened, but I don’t think I will recover from it completely. Darkness holds power over me. The fear of what might hide in it. The fear of being hurt.

  I take a mug from the cupboard, put a bag of green jasmine tea in it, and pour boiling water. Over the past few years, this has become my habit on those sleepless nights. It doesn’t help to deal with my demons, but somehow it calms my nerves. At least for a little while.

  In the beginning, it was hard. Brand new life. New home, new people. Everything was so unfamiliar and scary. Like I was living a life of someone else. Like I wasn’t myself anymore. I had nothing – well, still do - but at least I made peace with it. I am lucky to be alive and thankful for the chance of starting over – even though I’ve lost everything dear to my heart. Five years ago I decided to live – a different life than I’ve always imagined for myself. But it's still better than nothing. I gave up on the ones I loved, packed my bags and drove here, to the middle of nowhere – Jackson, west part of Tennessee – small town, with around sixty-six thousand inhabitants. Huge change for a big city rat like me. I would be lying if I said this place feels like home. It never did and never will. It’s too quiet, too boring. But this is for the best. I kept a low profile for a really long time, gave up on my dream job, ditched law university in my senior year, sold out everything I owed back in Cali. It was the only way, or so I’ve been told.

  I grew up in Los Angeles, California, – a place so full of life one could only imagine. My parents were well-known divorce attorneys, one of the best in the state. I wanted to follow their footsteps, so I studied hard, got accepted to the University of California-Berkeley, and passed all the exams at the top of my class. I’ve had it all worked out in my head. I was good, guess you can call it a natural gift - some said I inherited it from my folks, but I knew it was more than that. I worked hard, spent countless, sleepless nights studying. I wanted to be the best, better than my parents. I pushed myself to the limits. I had my dream right in front of my eyes.

  Until it was torn away from me.

  Within the blink of an eye, I lost everything. My home, my family, the love of my life and my dreams. My life has turned into a nightmare – one I continue to live in. I can’t let go of my past, don’t even know if I want to. It scares me to forget them, to move on. I know I should have done it a long time ago, but letting them go would mean that I accepted what happened – that I gave up on them. But how can I keep living when the ghosts from my past are so real?

  I take a sip from my mug, clutching it with my hands warming them on it. Minutes pass by as I sit by the table and stare outside the window. I live on the outskirts of the city, in a detached house all by myself. There is not much going on during the night in my neighborhood, no major problems, mostly young couples living with their kids. I could count the number of police calls on the fingers of one hand. I figured this was the best option when I moved to Jackson. I wanted to escape from the rush my life has been after my parents died and all the bad things happened. I hoped it would help me forget, I couldn’t be more wrong. I am still the same scared little girl I was before – I’m still running away.

  My social life – besides work, handling customers and being the boss – doesn’t really exist. This is for the best in case one day I’d have to run away again. I don’t want to go through the same thing again, cut ties with everyone I’ve ever met, pretend that I don’t exist. I may be alive, but this made me feel like I’m dead. Disappearing is way harder than I thought, way more harmful. I am alive, but dead to everyone else – dead to those I love. They say you find out who was a friend and who was a foe after you die; I believe it. Watching the people I know mourning over me, denying me being gone – it has changed me. I wouldn’t say so many of them may miss me. At least me they used to know. Because the girl I became, the person I am now is nothing like the one that died all those years ago.

  It feels surreal – being dead to the world – and alive at the same time. It's strange to see myself in the mirror every day and not recognize the person I am. Everything’s changed. My name, identity, appearance – even my personality. Somehow, within the blink of an eye, I became a complete stranger to myself. The blond curls I used to love so much are now straight brown. My sun-kissed skin is unhealthy white. The shades underneath my eyes grow bigger with every passing day. The only thing unchanged is my eyes – deep blue, almond-shaped, coated with long black lashes – the only remaining piece of my past.

  I take my mug and walk to the living room. I turn on the small table lamp on the left side of the couch. I cover myself with a cozy blue blanket and switch on the TV. I jump through the channels but nothing catches my attention. This stupid box is just as empty as my life has been for the past five years. I leave it on the random channel and take another sip off my mug.

  I wake up on the couch, twisted around the blanket. A shiver of cold passes through my spine. Another nightmare. The TV is still on, the first rays of the sun warming the window – they’re way too br
ight for my sensitive eyes. I check the time, 5:53 – well, an hour of sleep is still better than nothing. I’m glad it’s Sunday and I don’t have to go to work. I turn off the TV and head upstairs to take a shower. I swear at myself another time for forgetting to call the electrician to fix my boiler with hot water. It’s been broken for four days, and even though I've been taking cold showers ever since, I keep forgetting to get it fixed. I’m thankful it’s still summer, so I don’t freeze while taking a bath.

  After the shower, I put on a tracksuit and head outside for jogging. It’s been my routine since my high school years, something I never gave up on. Keeping my body in a good shape has always been a very important part of my daily life, and I’m glad I never stopped doing it. Now, at the age of thirty, my body looks a decade younger. My skin is still smooth, legs and butt covered in muscles instead of fat and lines. Despite my tired from sleepless nights eyes, I look good.

  I run for about an hour around my neighborhood. The streets are still empty, not a living soul is there. It’s a warm, sunny morning – gentle wind blows the crowns of trees. A day like any other for the past five years. It’s so quiet I can hear my heart beating. I like it like this; it makes me feel safe. I run for a few more minutes and head home to take another shower. I make a note to fix it and stick it inside my notebook.

  I study my meetings scheduled for Monday. It will be a long day, full of meetings – which are part of my job I hate the most. Meetings mean socializing with others, putting on a smiling mask on my face, and going through the day telling everyone how amazing this week occurs to be. I own an event organizing company, but mainly I’m a wedding planner. That is around ninety percent of profit each year. What an irony you may say? I know, and I still wonder why I chose this as a profession. Apart from being a lawyer, I loved organizing events and was great at it. It gives genuine income each month and satisfaction to help other people prepare for their big day.

  After my parents died, they’ve left me a fortune, one that could easily provide me a wealthy life without working at all – but that wasn’t an option. I wanted to do something with my life, so I’ve invested the money and started my company. In the beginning, it was small, and didn’t bring much profit. But in the past three years it started to expand quickly, and now it's the second biggest event organizing company in Tennessee. I hire around five hundred people around the state, so I don’t really organize events by myself anymore unless I want to or am asked to do so. Nowadays, I mainly take care of coordination, planning and looking for new trends and solutions.

  I want to give couples something I’ve never had – their dream wedding. A perfect day they will remember for the rest of their lives – something I wanted for myself, but was stolen away from me all those years ago. Before my parents died, I lived a happy life. I got engaged to the most amazing man that walks Earth – Matthew Richmond – my childhood friend, my first and only love. We picked a date; I bought a dress and I was over the moon madly in love and happy. We planned to get married a week after my graduation. But we never did. First, my parents died, then I had to run away. So I did the worst thing I could do to help him move on and give up on me – I died. I got a new identity and disappeared. My heart breaks every time I think about it, but I know it was the only way. I made the right choice. I follow him on social media like a ghost. Matt got married last summer and has a kid on the way. He seems in love with that woman and I’m grateful to her for giving him the life he’d always wanted. I know he will be a wonderful father and husband.

  It's amazing how social media can tell you almost everything about one’s life these days. People don’t really protect their privacy anymore; they share everything with complete strangers. Matt does it too, but at least that way I can see how he’s doing and I’m glad to see him happy again. I know I will always own a piece of his heart, but it makes my heart ache a little less to know he found his happiness back – even if I lost mine forever.

  They say that all wounds heal with time. I disagree. Passing time just makes you get used to the pain, it doesn’t ease it or erase it. Somehow you learn how to live day after day, but you never forget. At least I never did. I keep telling myself it’s time to let go. I want to start over. The problem is, I don’t know where to start. Years are passing by and I’m stuck in the same place I’ve been in the beginning. I’m empty, scared, and lonely. I’m my own shadow.

  Monday. Eight thirty-five in the morning. I rush inside the conference room where my team is already waiting. I’m late – as always. I still wonder how I’ve succeeded in keeping this company running for so long with my timing. It’s only five minutes, but I don’t recall the last time I’ve been on schedule. They say nothing, just wait for me to plug in the laptop and give them the notes I’ve made over the weekend. It’s getting harder to cooperate with so many people. Thirty faces stare at me, most probably wondering what crazy ideas got inside my head this time. I can sense their curiosity as they go through the notes I gave them a moment ago.

  “Good morning everyone,” I start smoothly clearing my throat. “I’m sorry for being late again.”

  I look around the large table smiling apologetically. I wish I could remember the names of at least half of the people in this room, but I don’t. I recall only the ones that have been with me since the start of the company. As for the others - I used to mistake their names a lot, so now everyone wears an ID badge with their name if I need to address them personally. I know it’s not the nicest thing, but it is the best solution for me. Daily, I deal with lots of people, and it’s nearly impossible to remember their names.

  “This past year has been very important for our company. As many of you know, we grow bigger and bigger every year. And so do the expectations of our customers. We are the top picked event organizing company, second biggest in the state, but that is about to change. Our plan for this year is to be the first. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that we are extending our range into three more cities outside of the state of Tennessee.” I look around to see the excitement on their faces. “We will have our branch settled in Saint Louis, in the state of Missouri. Atlanta, in the state of Georgia and Charlotte, in the state of North Carolina.” I smile and continue. “We go for big cities. That is our goal for the rest of the year.”

  I turn on the projector and circle all three towns with the laser. I point at Saint Louis.

  “Early October we start here.” I move the laser to the next town. “In the middle of November, we launch an office in Atlanta and afterward the first week of December, Charlotte,” I take a deep breath. “This means we’re looking for three new region coordinators and around ten to fifteen employees per each office. We’ve opened thirty locations across Tennessee within five years, all thanks to your hard work and devotion. You are my rock – best managing team I could ever ask for. Each one of you represents me daily and you do an amazing job. You are the heart of this company.”

  I go through with the presentation, showing the direction I would like to extend the company in the next few months. I talk about the budget, local connections, Co-organizers. It takes a while before I manage to show them new trends for the upcoming wedding season. After discussing this part, we talk about other events planned for this year and the development of the industry.

  Being here, standing in front of all these people, doesn’t scare me anymore. I owe them my success in this industry; I trust them. Somehow, I’ve stayed incognito despite the growing popularity of my company. To the outside world, I am just an event planner, nothing more. Even though my business grows so quickly, there is no interest in my personal life, which I’m grateful for.

  “Before we finish, I have two more things to announce,” I say, checking the time on my phone. It’s been two hours already. “First. I am happy to have you by my side. You support me and make this company extend its influence further and further each year. It’s been five years already. So, I would like to invite you to the company’s fifth birthday celebration, which I planned
for the twentieth of December. I wouldn’t be standing here without all of you. It was a challenge to find a place that can host almost five hundred people, but I did it.” I laugh. “So I am asking you to deliver my invitation to the rest of the employees.”

  I inhale sharply and continue.

  “I would like to show my gratitude for your hard work and support. Therefore, I am giving a pay rise for each employee. Besides that, all of you will receive a bonus by the end of the year.” I hear applause and see their smiles widen. “I’ll include all the information in the email I will send to you shortly after the meeting. Thank you for your time and I hope to see you all at the next quarterly meeting.”

  I pick up my laptop and head outside of the conference room, waving goodbye to everyone. I am already tired, but my day is just getting started. It’s only eleven in the morning. I head for lunch to the small restaurant around the corner. They serve tasty food at a good price and the service is nice. It’s been my favorite place ever since I’ve moved to Jackson. Well, it makes me feel almost like home. I smile to myself on the thought about Cali. I never stopped missing it. The warmth of the sun, the rush my life has been and the ocean. I miss it so much it hurts.

  After lunch, I attend a few more meetings with my patrons. I help them establish final details of the upcoming events I organize for their companies. They are one of the few people I know in person and take care of their fixtures on my own. I usually avoid organizing things by myself for obvious reasons. I know there is a small chance, that someone may recognize me and link me with my past, but I am still careful with whom I trust. It will never change.

  I knew of the risk I put myself in when I started the company. I still do. But I have enough of running away. It’s tiring. I’ve spent five years fleeing from the ghosts of my past. Five long years, looking over my shoulder – living in misery. I promised myself so many times to live and to move on. I am taking baby steps, one at a time – because I’m afraid if I let anyone in, my world will collapse again.